BRIDGE MASTERCLASS

Your partner, North, deals and opens 1NT (12-14), and next hand passes. What action would you take? Many players have the mistaken idea that they mustn’t use the ‘Stayman’ response of 2♣, in an effort to find a major suit fit, on hands of less than 11HCPs.

This is quite wrong, and the rule is that you use it unless you have a suitable course of action to take over whatever opener rebids.

What this really amounts to is that you need, on very weak hands, to be able to cope with opener’s possible 2♦ rebid, denying a 4-card major. So on the hand above, bid 2♣ and, if opener rebids either 2♥ or 2♠, pass, as you have found the fit.

If he rebids 2♦ denying a 4-card major, rebid 2♥, which is just as much a weak take-out now as it would have been had you bid it instead of 2♣. you chose 2♣ because it allowed you to look for either a 4-card spade or heart fit.